Community college journal of research and practice
Paging:
Volume 24 (2000) nr. 10 pages 823-838
Year:
2000-12
Contents:
Despite the efforts of the past decade to prepare students for the rigors of college course work, higher education continues to find that a high percentage of students need varying degrees of remediation to help them succeed in college courses. Most, if not all, community colleges conduct placement testing to assess student skills in reading, writing, and mathematics and sometimes for study skills and learning styles. However, the dilemma arises concerning the appropriate action to take once underprepared students are identified - requiring mandatory placement in developmental classes or allowing them the right to fail. In Colorado, placement testing is mandatory, but students have the right to waive placement into developmental courses. The overarching dilemma involving mandatory placement rests at the heart of what community colleges pride themselves on most - the egalitarian position of open access and the effort to provide all students with the highest quality of education. This dilemma raises ethical issues as well as exposes a number of ironies, which this article explores: access versus success, course prerequisites for college-level courses, the junior-level writing requirement at the University of Colorado-Boulder, performance indicators in Colorado, a rising junior exam, self-esteem, the right to fail, egalitarianism, and context.
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